Emergency Backup for Russian Fuel: Why Kazakhstan Turned to Europe for Jet Fuel

Kazakhstan’s decision to import 10,000 tons of European jet fuel through Georgia may be a precaution against possible disruptions to Russian supplies, oil and gas industry expert Olzhas Baidildinov said, Orda.kz reports.

The new route is significantly more expensive than the usual supplies and is not yet able to cover the needs of the country.

In July, the Batumi oil terminal, owned by KazTransOil, resumed the transshipment of aviation kerosene after an eight-year break. The first batch of Jet A-1 with a volume of 10 thousand tons was delivered from Europe through the Black Sea. Now the fuel is waiting to be sent to Kazakhstan by railway tanks along the Middle Corridor.

According to Baidildinov, Kazakhstan annually produces about 700-800 thousand tons of aviation fuel, but imports about 300-400 thousand tons duty-free from Russia within the EAEU.

When the current situation creates questions about providing the Russian market with fuel in general and aviation kerosene in particular, Kazakhstan is naturally looking for alternative ways. Apparently, we saw one of these ways,the expert noted.

He called the volume of the European party small. Ten thousand tons will not be able to replace Russian supplies, especially taking into account the growth of passenger, cargo and transit air transportation.

Kazakhstan is also considering fuel purchases in China, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. However, free volumes in these countries may already be contracted or sold at a higher price.

Deliveries through Russia were easier and cheaper: fuel was transported several hundred kilometers. European kerosene will have to overcome several thousand kilometers with sea and rail consters.

The logistics are completely different, the prices are completely different. Therefore, this is more of an emergency measure than a system channel,said in conclusion, Baidildinov.

Kazakhstani refineries produce mainly aviation fuel of TS-1 and RT brands. The plants declared their technical readiness to switch to the international standard Jet A-1, but this requires reconfiguration of production facilities and preparation of the infrastructure of airports, oil depots and carriers. We wrote about this in a large comparative analytical material.

Original author: Alexander Zhdanov

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